Mr Darcy's Charade (Spies and Prejudice - Book 2)
by VioletKingAuthor
Summary: Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are engaged, but when Lady Catherine schemes to break up the happy couple before they make their wedding vows, she puts them both in the sights of Napoleon's spymaster, Chrysalides. Will Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy's love survive to their wedding? Or will a shocking murder force her to break off the engagement? (Elizabeth/Darcy, Jane/Bingley)
1. Prologue

Hi everyone! **This is the prologue to my WIP, Mr. Darcy's Charade** , Book 2 of the Spies and Prejudice series. While this story stands alone, you will enjoy it much better if you read the first book so I recommend you start there. **Warning: this is an unedited, WIP.** I have run it through spell check and ProWritingAid, but there will still be proofreading errors. I intend to publish this as an eBook on Amazon after it is fully edited. Any and all feedback is welcome on this WIP though! I want this to be the best book it can be!

 **Note: Due to popular request, I am adding a brief summary of what happened in the previous book here.** In Mr. Darcy's Cipher, Mr. Bennet is a crack code cracker working indirectly with the Prime Minister's office during the Napoleonic wars. Mr. Bennet is also losing his sight, so Elizabeth, his one daughter who inherited his love of puzzles, has been working with him since she was a child and is currently doing a lot of the deciphering work. Mr. Darcy comes to Mr. Bennet because his younger brother, Reginald, died in France but sent a letter, partially in code, to their sister Georgiana. Mr. Darcy has taken the letter to be decoded because he doesn't want the contents to thrust her back into crippling grief. As Elizabeth works on the code, she discovers that there is a French spymaster in England and also a plot to assassinate the Prince Regent. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy fall in love while unraveling this plot and saving the Prince Regent. At the end of the book, Mr. Darcy has proposed and Elizabeth has accepted.

 **Prologue**

It was a truth, universally acknowledged, that a married lady who made secret assignations with strange men must have unfulfilled passions. For Lady Isabelle Valmouth, those passions included sedition, espionage, and the ultimate collapse of the British monarchy.

Louis lifted a flute of red wine as Lady Isabelle slipped into the room. She was dressed as a servant, black dress, white apron, her blonde curls pulled up beneath a simple cap. Without her fancy frocks, rouge and feathers, she seemed ordinary. A mask, but a comfortable one.

"You are late." Louis handed Isabella a glass of wine. He was a picture of a dandy, intricate cravat, chocolate curls, trim waist and long, sleek and proud like a Godolphin racer.

"My modiste wanted details."

"I trust you made much of my prowess."

Isabelle sipped her wine. The taste was expensive and bitter. "I demurred as was proper."

"You, my lady, are more proper than any would suspect."

"I am no lady," Isabelle said, shifting to the gutter French of her childhood.

Louis, in the same tongue, said, "I doubt Aldous expected his loyalty to be rewarded with a knife in the gut."

"The gut stab resulted from his incompetence. His loyalty ensured his throat was slit shortly thereafter, so he did not suffer."

"One would almost say you've gotten tenderhearted, Belle." Louis chuckled. "Sit with me." He sat on the edge of the bed. His gaze lingered on her lips.

"Shameless."

"Old Valmouth cannot satisfy you as I could."

"it will satisfy me when we have brought freedom to this pisshole."

Louis sighed.

"Twice this week I have had to call on the services of my modiste. There is no telling how ridiculously bespoke I will be for the upcoming season. Why could you have not have sent your news in a letter?"

"You wanted to know about the betrothed pair who saved dear Prinny's life."

"What did you discover?"

"Some things of interest." Louis raised the wine to his lips.

"You will be paid. Your kind is always paid."

"We cannot all put our entire faith in revolution."

Louis put his faith in nothing but himself. It was one thing Isabel found useful about him. Craven and disgusting, but useful.

"Mr. Darcy is gentry, landed, with a good income."

"All of this I have learned from the gossip rags. Go on."

"His younger brother was killed in France."

"In battle."

"In Paris, to be specific."

Isabelle's fingers tightened on her glass. She forced herself to sip the wine. "Is that so?" If the younger Mr. Darcy had been in Paris, then he was no ordinary soldier. Which made it less likely the elder Darcy had at the been at the Autumn Masque to foil Aldous's plan by coincidence. "Interesting," she said. The younger Mr. Darcy must have informed his brother of Aldous's plot. Possibly. The younger Darcy had been dead for over six months. "Still, I am uncertain this required we meet."

"His fiancé is also interesting. Miss Elizabeth Bennet is the daughter of Erasmus Bennet. Aldous had sent a man to look into his correspondence. He has deciphered a number of our codes."

"You think he sent his daughter." Mr. Erasmus Bennet was a calculating man. Isabelle respected that. Isabel's heart pounded. The brother of the spy the daughter of code cracker sent together to foil an assassination that had been planned for months. This was no coincidence. The only question was how much they knew, and how quickly they had informed.

"Miss Bennett is to all appearances, wholly ordinary."

So was Lady Isabelle Valmouth. The daughter of minor Scottish nobility, orphaned when her father and sister succumbed to illness while Isabelle was away, fostered by her country aunt. Perhaps Miss Elizabeth Bennet was the more _ordinary_ type of ordinary. Or perhaps, like so many ordinary women, she was more than she pretended?

Lady Isabelle suspected the latter. "Miss Bennet has Prinny's favor now. She will attempt to use it at court."

"Miss Bennett left town the day after the autumn masque. She never attended court. Nor has she yet a season in town. Now, as she and Mr. Darcy are to wed, it is likely she never will."

"Likely not," Isabella agreed. It was best not to give away one's own hand. She had already shown that too much interest in these details. She could trust Louis insofar as she could pay him. Which made him more reliable than those who acted on their own conscience.

"Thank you for your service," Isabelle said and pulled from her apron a small, leather bag. "A small token of our employer's appreciation."

"Thank you, my Lady Butterfly."

Isabelle laughed as fury, cold and diamond hard, rose inside her. Isabelle was careful never to intimate she was any more than a link in the chain. If any suspected her of being Chrysalides... better not to give her underlings reasons to slit her throat in kindness. "What are you insinuating?"

Louis paled. "Only that you set my heart a flutter, Lady Isabelle."

"I am not interested in a liaison, Louis."

"I understand."

"I hope you do. Taking liberties with another man's wife, or her secrets, can lead to unfortunate consequences."

 **XYXYXYXYX**

Thank you for reading! The first chapter will be up soon. I've done multiple outlines, but the book (as usual) isn't exactly following them so we shall see. I plan to update this book regularly and look forward to your feedback.

Best,

Violet


	2. Chapter 1

Hi everyone! **This is Chapter 1 of my WIP, Mr. Darcy's Charade** , Book 2 of the Spies and Prejudice series. While this story stands alone, you will enjoy it much better if you read the first book so I recommend you start there. **Warning: this is an unedited, WIP.** I have run it through spell check and ProWritingAid, but there will still be proofreading errors. I intend to publish this as an eBook on Amazon after it is fully edited. Any and all feedback is welcome on this WIP though! I want this to be the best book it can be!

 **In this chapter:** Mr. Darcy has a surprise visitor.

 **Note: Due to popular request, I am adding a brief summary of what happened in the previous book here.** In Mr. Darcy's Cipher, Mr. Bennet is a crack code cracker working indirectly with the Prime Minister's office during the Napoleonic wars. Mr. Bennet is also losing his sight, so Elizabeth, his one daughter who inherited his love of puzzles, has been working with him since she was a child and is currently doing a lot of the deciphering work. Mr. Darcy comes to Mr. Bennet because his younger brother, Reginald, died in France but sent a letter, partially in code, to their sister Georgiana. Mr. Darcy has taken the letter to be decoded because he doesn't want the contents to thrust her back into crippling grief. As Elizabeth works on the code, she discovers that there is a French spymaster, Chrysalides, in England and also a plot to assassinate the Prince Regent. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy fall in love while unraveling this plot and saving the Prince Regent. At the end of the book, Mr. Darcy has proposed and Elizabeth has accepted.

 **Chapter 1**

Fitzwilliam Darcy woke in a cold sweat. Remnants of the dream lingered: dull silver of dirty garden sheers and his mother's collapsed form, staring out with glassy blue eyes. Darcy had not seen his mother fall, nor the body until she was cleaned and changed for the family to stay at her bedside.

It was late, the darkest hour, and even London was quiet. In the fireplace, embers smoldered, and the air was chill is Darcy shifted, reaching behind his pillow for the fireplace poker he had hidden there in case Wickham returned and tried to murder Darcy in his sleep.

The floor creaked. Darcy clutched the poker. It was wrought iron and tapered at the tip.

"I've already died once this year, Fitz. Pray do not murder me again."

"Reggie?" Darcy's heart pounded. He let go the poker and stood. In only his drawers, the room's chill air said goosebumps over skin. "How could you do this to us?"

"Put on your dressing gown. "Reginald Darcy, in shadow, no longer in the jester's costume but instead dark trousers and shirt, more suited to a sprinkler than a second son of gentle birth. His hand flicked the darkness as he threw the dressing gown towards Darcy, who caught it and pushed over his shoulders, tying it at the waist.

"You broke our sister's heart."

"Had you delivered to her the letter I sent, and not taken it for yourself, the letter would have eased her pain."

"And mine?"

Reginald sighed. "I had not intended my death to last so long."

"Well, you have returned now." Two days after the ball. "We can inform all that you live, have your commission reinstated, or better yet, buy you out and set you to some other work. The law perhaps?"

"Not yet."

Mr. Darcy clenched his fist. "You cannot need to continue this farce?"

"Your letter said: "Chrysalides on our shores. Protect the crown. We have protected the crown. What more can you do as a ghost?"

"He does not speak. He is one of Chrysalides butterflies, and he expects to fly free. So he will not speak."

"There are more assassins?"

"The assassin was his tool. Chrysalides has insinuated himself in court. His identity as yet remains a mystery. And that is why I cannot live."

"You have seen him?"

"No. But I knew his disciple in France."

"So that is all then. You will pretend at being a ghost until the day you become one in truth, and it will be as though you disappeared. One day there, the next gone. An empty shell."

"You've always burdened me with low expectations, Fitz. I plan to live to a very old age. After this bloody war, I may even settle down for a while, perhaps with the same woman. I am not the marrying type, but your Miss Bennet... if I can find a lady so lovely...? She would make an excellent spy. Her business with Prinny was masterful." Reggie's teeth glinted in the darkness.

"If you plan to remain deceased, why are you here?"

Reggie walked to the wall and lit a candle. "I missed you."

"Who is Lord Cunningham?"

"Georgiana was in no danger."

An assassin had been sent to kill the Regent, and Reggie said 'no danger.' "You should have written me with your intrigue."

"Your brother, engaging in such dishonorable behavior? You would not have tolerated it."

The worst of it was, Reggie was right. Darcy would not have tolerated it. He would have used every scrap of his influence as the elder to bring Reggie back even if it ruined him. Having his brother on the front had been too much. Espionage was dishonorable. Darcy knew others engaged in it, but they were disreputable types. Lower classes.

Darcy asked, "Did Richard know?"

"Our cousin? We avoided the subject. Colonel Fitzwilliam has always preferred a more direct approach."

"And yet you trusted Georgiana. A child."

"I had her pass messages along. She was not involved."

"Did she tell you of Wickham?"

"That dog. I wish you had not paid his debts. He is back in the gambling hells, is he?"

"He seduced Georgiana our father died."

"You let Wickham near her!"

"I did not know." Darcy swallowed. The stain he bore for that mistake could not be erased. "That is my burden. But to say Georgiana was in no danger from your actions is a lie. Do not involve her further."

"She asked to help."

"You should found another way."

Reggie sighed. "Perhaps. I have no wish to fight with you. I was hoping to enlist your help. You, and your beautiful fiancée."

"No."

"Chrysalides is at court. You and Miss Bennet at the favor of the Regent. With your help, perhaps we can flush him out."

"I will not put Elizabeth in danger."

"She is not yours to place as you will, Fitz. You said as much when you proposed. Quite dramatically from what they wrote in the gossip rags. You promised to follow her and kissed her, in public no less."

"I promised to follow her, but I will not push her into the path of a knife. Do not ask me. You are my brother, but she will be my wife."

"You and Miss Bennet have caught Chrysalides' attention, whether or not you wished it. It is only a matter of who is in control when you cross paths. Because he will cross your path."

"Miss Bennet has left London and I will join her. We will not be back for some time. If this man is as entrenched here is you believe, he will soon recognize that neither Elizabeth nor I are anything more than two ordinary people in love."

"This is our chance to find Chrysalides and destroy his network from the root."

"I will not use Elizabeth as a bait for your trap. Find someone else."

"And she will feel the same?"

"If you breathe a word of this to her, I will end your charade."

"I am dead."

"Because others believe it so. Do not push me, brother. Whatever it is you wish to do in secret, do it without me and Elizabeth. You are my brother and my blood, but there are things I will not accept."

Reggie sighed. "I had thought you might have changed."

"Not so much as that."

"Do you still keep the flask in your nightstand?"

As Reginald spoke, he walked around the bed and opened the nightstand drawer. "Of course you do. A toast then, to Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy." He handed flash he took a swig from the flask and handed it across the bed to Darcy, who sat, holding it.

Darcy took a sip, and the whiskey burnt hot down his throat. "To Elizabeth."

Reggie added, "To Elizabeth, ghosts, and Lord Nelson, may he ever hold the channel."

They each took another swig, and Reginald twisted the cap on the whiskey shut, placed it back in the drawer and closed it.

"Should you change your mind, and even if you do not, know I will always fight for you and ours." He clapped Darcy hard on the shoulder and, with a wave and a flash of teeth, slipped out of the bedroom door. His footsteps made no sound on the floorboards, and Darcy realized his brother must have stepped on the creaky board deliberately to wake him.

Reggie was irreverent, but he kept his word. At least the letter of it. He would not speak with Elizabeth about his machinations.

Whiskey burning in his gut, Darcy leaned back on his pillows. His eyes shut, and he was in the garden again. In his dreams, the silver sheen of the pruning shears and a woman, dead on the ground, eyes wide, and not the blue he remembered. They were dark, wide and beautiful, but still dead.

 **XYXYXYXYX**

Thank you for reading! We'll be getting to Elizabeth in the next chapter! I hope you are enjoying this book so far :)

Best,

V


	3. Chapter 2

Hi everyone! **This is Chapter 2 of my WIP, Mr. Darcy's Charade** , Book 2 of the Spies and Prejudice series. While this story stands alone, you will enjoy it much better if you read the first book so I recommend you start there. **Warning: this is an unedited, WIP.** I have run it through spell check and ProWritingAid, but there will still be proofreading errors. I intend to publish this as an eBook on Amazon after it is fully edited. Any and all feedback is welcome on this WIP though! I want this to be the best book it can be!

 **In this chapter:** Lady Catherine offers Lizzie an unwanted opportunity.

 **Chapter 2**

Despite Mr. Darcy's professed love, Elizabeth would have preferred to spend Christmastime in Longbourn than at Rosings with his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. The Bennet family arrived on December twenty-third. A layer of snow frosted the grounds, obscuring the well-tended gardens and silvery ochre Elizabethan manor house with its run of curvaceous Dutch gables.

Mr. Collins pointed out, with a rapturous air, the fine proportion and finished ornaments as they followed the servants through the through an antechamber to the room where Lady Catherine, her daughter, and Mrs. Jenkinson sat. To Elizabeth's dismay, Mr. Darcy was absent.

Her ladyship, with great condescension, rose to receive them. Mr. Bennet bowed and Mrs. Bennet gave a low curtsy as Elizabeth and her sisters followed their mother's example.

"You are quite handsome. I suppose you must be Miss Elizabeth Bennet," Lady Catherine de Bourgh said, inclining her head towards Jane.

Mr. Bennet coughed. Mrs. Bennet was uncharacteristically tongue tied. "Well – –. Um – –." She looked helplessly at her three remaining daughters.

Mr. Collins was similarly discomfited. "I must ask your forgiveness, my lady, for speaking out of turn, but-."

"That is my sister, Jane," Lydia cut in. "Elizabeth has the darker eyes."

"And you are?"

"Our youngest, Lydia," Mrs. Bennet said, fluttering her fingers at her neck. "Her words were not meant as a criticism. Lizzie and Jane are so close. They are often confused."

"Not so often," Mary said. She clutched a small, leather-bound book in her right hand. "Lizzie is shorter and thinner with a sharper tongue."

"Mary!" Mrs. Bennet gripped Mary's forearm. "Mary is not ill-intentioned in her forwardness. Why, she is a dear, sweet girl and possessed of good humor."

"And a literary bent, it seems," Lady Catherine stabbed a finger towards Mary's book. "What is it you are reading?"

"The Summa Theologiae," Mary said, crossing her legs at the ankles.

Mr. Collins eyes lit up. "Miss Mary, I have also found that book fascinating. Why his discussion of the five ways is most illustrative!"

Mary smiled. "It is Thomas Aquinas's defining work. The summation of his thoughts."

"I trust you are reading in Latin," Lady Catherine cut in.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Acceptable," Lady Catherine nodded. "It is important to improve one's mind. And Miss Lydia, which books do you enjoy?"

"I prefer fashion plates," Lydia said without shame.

"Hmmph," Lady Catherine turned towards Mrs. Bennet. "She will need polishing before she is set out. Miss Georgiana is in the nursery. Miss Lydia will join her."

Miss Georgiana was here? The news delighted Elizabeth. Had Mr. Darcy given her the news about their brother? The man had vanished after the ball, and Mr. Darcy had only stayed a short time after in Hertfordshire before returning to Town to find him. Was Mr. Darcy at Rosings as well? Elizabeth hoped so.

"The nursery!" Lydia exclaimed. "But I am not a child."

"How old are you?"

"Almost sixteen."

"A child. And an impertinent one. Miss Georgiana is quite accomplished, and will begin her first season when she has completed her mourning."

Lydia looked to Mrs. Bennet. "Mother, please explain that I am already out."

"Out?" Lady Catherine's eyes widened.

Mrs. Bennet was red. "It is—my lady."

Elizabeth, desperate to end the awkwardness, explained, "My lady, all of us are out."

"All! - What, all five out at once?" She raised her hand to her heart. "Very odd! - The younger ones out before the elder are married!"

"We-. Well." Mrs. Bennet glanced at her husband who did not see her.

"I think it would be very hard upon my younger sisters, that they should not have their share of society and amusement because the elder may not have the means or inclination to marry early. To hold the youngest back from the amusements of youth would not very likely promote sisterly affection or delicacy of mind."

"Upon my word," said her ladyship, "you give your opinion very decidedly. "Mrs. Bennet, are all of your daughters so forward?" Lady Catherine's gaze settled on Elizabeth. "Sisterly affection indeed!"

At least Elizabeth now knew where Mr. Darcy had gotten that particular expression of disregard. Perhaps, like Mr. Darcy, Lady Catherine had unplumbed depths. Elizabeth doubted it.

Jane took Elizabeth's hand and gave it a light squeeze. "My sister Elizabeth meant no offense," Jane said.

"I apologize if such was inferred," Elizabeth added, forcing a tranquil expression. When she and Mr. Darcy married, Lady Catherine would be her aunt. If Mr. Darcy could tolerate Elizabeth's mother, the least Elizabeth could do was attempt a civil relationship with his aunt. Elizabeth lowered her chin.

Lady Catherine pursed her lips.

The door opened, and Mr. Darcy entered. Elizabeth's heart lightened. Mr. Darcy bowed to the group and then crossed the room to Lady Catherine. "Aunt," he greeted her and kissed her on the cheek. "Miss Anne."

Miss Anne de Bourgh, of whom Mr. Collins had continuously sung praises, nodded to Mr. Darcy. She was a frail, colorless figure wearing a frock of rich red that did not suit her.

Mr. Darcy met Elizabeth gaze and his expression softened, his lips turning up in a smile which crinkled the corners of his eyes. Elizabeth's heart beat faster. He crossed the space between them and took her hands.

Lady Catherine said, "You were not due until this evening."

"I rode ahead of the carriage," Mr. Darcy said. Elizabeth's heart soared. He could only have ridden ahead to see her.

Lady Catherine gave a tight-lipped nod. "Sit," she ordered them all.

They sat, with Mr. Darcy between Miss Anne and Elizabeth, followed by Jane on Elizabeth left and then Mary, Lydia, Kitty and their parents, creating a circle around Lady Catherine. A servant entered with tea and biscuits and small cakes. After Lady Catherine had taken her pick, and the tea was poured, they ate.

Jane ventured, "Mr. Darcy, if it is not too forward, are the Bingleys well? Miss Bingley mentioned they had spent some time at your home in London."

Mr. Darcy cocked his head. "Yes. They are spending Christmas with the Hursts."

"How wonderful! And we are so grateful for Lady Catherine's invitation."

"Yes. My aunt was very generous to extend her invitation to so many."

"Lady Catherine is, and always has been throughout the entirety of my experience, most generous and kind. And so full of wisdom. Why I was just speaking at Sunday services of First John, 2:5. 'But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.'"

"Yes, adherence to one's word and duty are virtues beyond compare," Lady Catherine said. She nibbled at her biscuit. "Mrs. Bennet, you are quite blessed. Five daughters is it?"

Mrs. Bennet swallowed her tea. "An abundance of riches in my heart."

"And an abundance of duty to see to their care and future well-being," Lady Catherine said.

"How well you understand things!"

"And your husband's estate is estate is entailed on Mr. Collins. For Mr. Collins sake, one must be glad of it; but otherwise I see no occasion for entailing estates from the female line. - It was not thought necessary in Sir Lewis de Bourgh's family. But be that as it may, five unwed daughters and an entailed estate puts a family in a precarious situation."

Mr. Bennet's countenance was obscured by his taking a sip of the tea. "This blend is exquisite, my lady."

"It is imported from the Indian colonies. In tea, the lineage is obvious in how the flavor rests upon the tongue."

Mr. Bennet's lips twitched. "Indeed. How a blend rests upon the _tongue_ is most critical."

"Oh Mr. Bennet!" Mrs. Bennet said, laughing loudly. "I sometimes do not even understand what it is you might mean when you say such things. And it is not something that ought be hinted at in our daughter's hearing."

"What was I was hinting at, wife?"

"Nothing. Obviously it was nothing."

"Miss Elizabeth," Lady Catherine asked, ignoring her parents. "Do you play and sing?"

"A little," Elizabeth said. She gestured towards Mary. "Music is my sister Mary's passion. That and literature."

"We shall be happy to hear the both of you. Our instrument is a capital one, probably superior to – –. You shall try it someday. But why is it they have all not learned, Mrs. Bennet?"

"We have allowed our daughters to develop their minds in accordance with their own interests," Mrs. Bennet said.

"Foolishness. The Miss Webbs play all day, and their father has not so good in income as yours, Mr. Bennet. Miss Elizabeth, do you draw?"

"Not at all."

"You have a lovely home," Jane interjected. "And your daughter, Miss Anne, it is a delight to meet you at last."

Miss Anne, who had been whispering in the ear of Mrs. Jenkins, gave a start. She looked at Jane. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," she said in a soft, if shrill voice.

Jane, clearly moved, smiled and said, "I hope we will become friends during our stay here. You are to be my cousin, and I am close to all in my family."

Miss Anne smiled shyly and nodded.

Lady Catherine flushed, and the ferocity of her expression was reminiscent of Mr. Darcy when he had first laid eyes on Mr. Wickham at the Assembly. She sipped her tea.

Mr. Darcy said, "I hope your journey was a pleasant one, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet."

"Why yes, it was so pleasant," Mrs. Bennet cut in before Elizabeth could speak. "Mr. Collins had the grace to tell us so much about the grounds, but a description, no matter how vivid, cannot compare to the reality."

"And all of it will go to my daughter and whoever she marries. I had thought it my nephew, but young men can be fickle."

Mr. Darcy had not promised himself to Miss Anne, had he? Elizabeth could not imagine Mr. Darcy reneging on his word. At the same time, if Mr. Darcy had promised himself to her daughter and then backed away from his obligation, then perhaps she had the right to her anger.

But if so, why would she have invited Elizabeth to her home?

Mr. Darcy said, "Whatever arrangements you speak of were between you and my mother when Miss Anne and I were babes in the cradle."

"Yes, nephew. I did not mean to make implications as to your character."

Mr. Darcy took Elizabeth's hand. "I have proposed to Elizabeth and she accepted."

"I am only concerned for you and her.

Perhaps concerned for her nephew. Elizabeth doubted her welfare particularly concerned Lady Catherine.

Mr. Darcy asked, "Concerned for Miss Elizabeth, how?"

Elizabeth squeezed his hand.

"It can be difficult, when one's status is so quickly and dramatically elevated. She is handsome enough, and I must assume, despite her less formal upbringing she has achieved a degree of accomplishment, but what are others to think? I fear they might believe her a fortune hunter."

Elizabeth hand clenched around Mr. Darcy's. How dare this vile woman accuse her of manipulating Mr. Darcy into a proposal! For the purpose of acquiring his fortune! "I had vowed to marry for love," Elizabeth said.

"Love is it?" Lady Catherine's eyes narrowed. She tapped the side of her teacup with her index finger. "In my day we did not put stock in such frivolities."

Perhaps that was why lady Catherine had such a sour demeanor? Surrounded by wealth, draped in fine fashion, respected for the gains of her ancestors and having chosen a sensible marriage, Lady Catherine appeared to have everything except joy. Even with the constant fear that her father's death might lead to her family's destitution, and the troubles in Elizabeth's own parents' relationship, at least they had loved each other once. Had Lady Catherine loved her husband? Or had she only loved the benefits a good match accrued to her?

"Yes, love," Elizabeth said. "Never in my wildest imaginings did I believe I would find love with Mr. Darcy, but I have. And that is the only reason I accepted your son's proposal. No matter what it is you are attempting to insinuate."

"Elizabeth is no fortune hunter, aunt. I have met no woman with less interest in either my fortune or status," Mr. Darcy said with heat.

"Certainly not!" Lady Catherine said. I did not mean to claim these were my own thoughts. More to show the challenges a young lady in Ms. Elizabeth's position will face. She needs the opportunity to shine in her own right. A season in town, – –."

"She is betrothed to me."

"Obviously not on the marriage market, but alliances must be made, connections must be had; it is for her benefit and yours. For the benefit of our entire family. If this match is too much for her, perhaps there is something I can offer to change her mind...for the sake of her family."

Elizabeth mouth fell open. "No!"

Lady Catherine pressed her lips together. "So be it. You will accept my instruction. I will make you a lady worthy of my nephew. You will have new frocks, and the squint between your brows must be managed. A long engagement will keep tongues from wagging and forestall lurid suppositions as to the reasons a marriage might be made in haste."

Elizabeth struggled to catch up. "You wish me to accompany you to London?"

"If you insist upon this folly, then we shall do it properly."

"Lady Catherine," Mrs. Bennet gushed. "You are so most generous."

Most generous? Most awful more like. Elizabeth would rather have stabbed herself through the eye with her father's pen than subject herself to months under the tutelage of Lady Catherine. Elizabeth looked to her father. "Papa? Your correspondence."

Did he not need her for his work?

"Surely a gentleman can manage his own correspondence," Lady Catherine said.

"Elizabeth's father needs her," Mr. Darcy said. "She cannot go to London. Not now."

"Why ever not?" Lady Catherine asked. "I hope you are not ashamed of your betrothed."

"Of course not."

"You fear she may not make a good showing of herself. It is understandable. She is possessed of country manners."

Elizabeth despised this woman. And yet, they were soon to be family. If Elizabeth shied away from this challenge, and it was as certain a challenge as if Lady Catherine had slapped her across the face with her glove to initiate a duel, then Elizabeth would never gain her acceptance. Lady Catherine would poison all of Mr. Darcy's relations against Elizabeth, and eventually, he would resent the estrangement and Elizabeth herself.

"Fitzwilliam," Elizabeth said, pausing to allow Lady Catherine to note Elizabeth's use of Mr. Darcy's given name. Lady Catherine clenched her fingers on the handle of her teacup, and Elizabeth smiled. "Your aunt is correct. I am not well known in your circles, and it is most generous of Lady Catherine to offer to show me around."

As generous as a knife in the back. Elizabeth turned to her father. If he objected, she would have a credible means to escape this certain misery. "Papa?"

"Go with my blessing, Lizzie" Mr. Bennet agreed. "Fear not, Lizzie, I will send along everything of importance to London."

"A year's engagement should be adequate," Lady Catherine declared.

A year! Long engagements were often the case for nobility, which Mr. Darcy was close enough to considering his relations, but a whole year?

"That is too long," Mr. Darcy said. "I should like to marry in the summer. Or autumn."

"Autumn then," Lady Catherine agreed. "We have much to arrange. After tea, Miss Elizabeth, you will attend me."

 **XYXYXYX**

Thank you for reading! I hope you're enjoying this book. I'll have another chapter up soon :)

Best,

V


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